The eyeontampabay's Podcast

Deja Vu! Clip from 2018 Interview by Chris Ingram about Rail Tax Boondoggles

Clip from interview by Chris Ingram from October 2018 about All for Transportation's 2018 rail tax boondoggle. The AFT tax was ruled unlawful and illegal and thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court causing almost $600 MILLION of illegal tax funds to be collected that must be refunded to the taxpayers. The same people who supported the 2018 AFT illegal rail tax are pushing the rail tax on the November ballot. 

Transportation Information: $18 Billion Rail Tax, Accident Prone Trains and 2022 is NOT 2018

The same people who lied about the illegal 2018 rail tax are now pushing the $18 Billion 2022 rail tax calling it a "moderate" investment. How can anyone trust these people?  

Transportation Information and Raging Inflation

With their constituents struggling with skyrocketing gas prices, raging inflation, rising food prices, exploding rents and property taxes (which means lots more revenue already to Hillsborough County and to HART transit agency), the Tampa Centric 5 Hillsborough County Democrat county commissioners put an unnecessary and egregious rail/transit tax on the November ballot. This is atrocious, appalling and totally tone-deaf. 

Interview with Karen Jaroch, Candidate for Soil & Water Conservation Board, District 2

Karen Jaroch is a candidate for the Soil & Water Conservation Supervisor, Dist. 2 in Hillsborough County.  The Eye interviews Ms. Jaroch to find out more about the Soil & Water Conservation Board and why she is running and the most qualified candidate in her race. Jaroch, a professional licensed engineer and former member of the HART Board transit agency governing board, has the technical & governance experience required of the Soil & Water Conservation Board position.

The Anti-Car Brigade $16B Transit Tax Tied To Tearing Down Interstates and Road Diets

We await the Supreme Court ruling on the All for Transportation transit tax and whether it will survive at all. Be cognizant of the proposed projects to tear own I-275 for a rail boulevard and road diets on Florida and Nebraska Avenues for transit that would create gridlock in Hillsborough County. Not only does the All for Transportation transit tax not fund new road capacity, it will remove existing road capacity.

PSTA Going Bankrupt Seeks New Revenue - A Transit Tax on 2020 Ballot

PSTA is headed towards being bankrupt and their proposed $45 million Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project will hasten PSTA's insolvency. Instead of addressing their financial decline and fiscal mess, PSTA is seeking a new revenue source to bail them out. PSTA wants to get another transit tax referendum on the 2020 ballot.

As Issues Come Home to Roost, Transit Tax Heads to FL Supreme Court

Many of the issues we raised last year about the All for Transportation (AFT) $16 Billion transit tax are coming home to roost.
 
Listen as the Eye speaks with Karen Jaroch, who helped lead the opposition to the AFT tax last year and raised warnings about its issues, discuss how the All for Transportation mess started, what the county commission is doing and the two appeals that have been filed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Opposition Grows Against BRT Project PSTA Seeks Federal Funds For

Pinellas Transit Agency PSTA seeks over $21 million from the Federal Transit Administration and additional funds from the Florida Department of Transportation for a Bus Rapid Transit Project. But opposition is growing to the project as two (S Pasadena and St Pete Beach) of the three municipalities formally oppose the project and opposition grows in the city of St. Petersburg. More details about PSTA's latest mess in podcast.

Court Ruling Puts All for Transportation Tax Thru Sausage Grinder

There appears to be flaws and irregularities with the recent court ruling on the All for Transportation tax. Residents and taxpayers of Hillsborough County need to beware of them and the risk that could be placed on taxpayers if Hillsborough county commissioners start spending the All for Transportation (AFT) tax dollars before all legal issues are resolved. Recent court ruling appears to have put the AFT tax through a sausage grinder creating more ground sausage.

Stop PSTA's Central Avenue BRT

It's urgent to stop PSTA's proposed $42 million Central Avenue BRT project. PSTA is going insolvent, their ridership has tanked 20% over last 5 years and they submitted misleading information in their federal transit grant request. PSTA uses road diets that takes away lanes of vehicle traffic for a bus only lane creating more congestion. Listen up for how you can help stop this bad project now.